- ChatGPT app suggestions have now been disabled after some users mistook them for ads.
- OpenAI hints at future user controls to determine which suggestions are displayed
- Backlash suggests ads would not be welcome on platform
User anger and confusion over ads appearing in ChatGPT continues, and it now appears that OpenAI has completely disabled its controversial app suggestions because they looked too much like ads.
Over the weekend, different OpenAI executives offered conflicting views on the “ads that aren’t ads” situation, with Marc Chen, director of research at OpenAI, suggesting in a response on X.com that the company disable app suggestions altogether until it can “improve the accuracy of the model.”
Chen also suggested that OpenAI could implement a way for users to turn off app suggestions in the future. “We’re also looking for better controls so you can reduce or turn this off if you don’t find it useful.”
I agree that anything that looks like an advertisement should be treated with caution, and we failed to do so. We have disabled this type of suggestion while we improve the accuracy of the model. We’re also looking for better controls so you can reduce or disable this setting if you don’t find it useful.December 5, 2025
How we got here
The problem arose because ChatGPT also automatically suggests apps when they seem relevant to the discussion. For example, if you’re considering purchasing a new home, ChatGPT may suggest the Zillow app so you can browse listings in ChatGPT using an interactive map.
Unfortunately, these app suggestions look an awful lot like ads when they appear, as seen in screenshots circulating online. Ads have never been part of the ChatGPT experience until now.
User confusion
Nick Turley, head of ChatGPT, denied that OpenAI was serving ads in a post on X, suggesting that the confusion was due to user misunderstanding rather than OpenAI’s intentions.
I see a lot of confusion regarding advertising rumors in ChatGPT. There are no live tests for ads: not all screenshots you saw are real or ads. If we run ads, we will take a thoughtful approach. People trust ChatGPT and everything we do will be designed to respect that.December 6, 2025
“I’m seeing a lot of confusion regarding ad rumors in ChatGPT. There are no live tests for ads, and not all of the screenshots you’ve seen are real or ads. If we continue with ads, we’ll take a thoughtful approach. People trust ChatGPT, and everything we do will be designed to respect that.”
But as users have pointed out, if an app suggestion is indistinguishable from an ad, it doesn’t matter what OpenAI calls it because the user experience is exactly the same.
“Fake ones aside, real ones that aren’t ads still erode trust in the ChatGPT experience because they look like ads,” said X user Ben Dickenson.
On the other hand, Marc Chen was more conciliatory and admitted that ChatGPT’s application suggestions looked like advertisements. He said the company has currently disabled them, saying it “is not up to par” with users’ expectations.
Fail
There appears to have been some internal confusion at OpenAI this weekend. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, who is usually quick to comment on ChatGPT issues, has been noticeably quiet on X recently, and there has been no official statement from the OpenAI account.
It seems inevitable that ads will one day arrive on the ChatGPT platform, but users’ reaction to app suggestions that looked like ads suggests they wouldn’t be welcome, especially by paying customers.
OpenAI may insist these weren’t ads, but users have made it clear that intent doesn’t matter; only perception does it. When ChatGPT brings back suggestions, they will need to feel undeniably different from the ad, or the reaction will come back just as quickly.
The best business laptops for every budget
